A drive into the French town of Le Porge now feels like entering a disaster zone, with the road slicing through a corridor of blackened, charred trees on both sides.
The scene is an unmistakable warning of what awaits further in.
Le Porge is seen as the epicentre of the destructive wildfires that have ripped through the region over the past week and, in some areas, are still smouldering.
After an alarm was raised on Friday, authorities moved quickly to evacuate the town.
The town was evacuated after an alarm was raised
Residents who later returned found devastation. A total of 183 homes had been swallowed by the flames, leaving many buildings roofless and gutted.
Displaced families have had to turn to evacuation centres, hotels, or the spare rooms of friends and relatives.
That limbo is hard to ignore for Benjamin Fusco, a local who came back to discover his own home had escaped damage.
“It is emotional. By chance our house hasn’t been touched,” he said.
“We can’t begin to feel what it is like to lose your home, but we can see how hard it is for our neighbours,” he added.
Fusco also raised doubts about whether enough firefighters were sent to battle the blaze.
Benjamin Fusco returned to Le Porge to find his own home unscathed
“When we returned we were shocked to see how few firemen there were. We were expecting way more,” he said.
Other residents have voiced similar concerns.
Earlier this week, AFP reported that some residents used a public meeting to accuse authorities of concentrating resources on Cap Ferret — a peninsula associated with luxury homes — instead of communities such as Le Porge.
Officials, however, have stood by their handling of the emergency, highlighting the sustained work of firefighting teams.
They said erratic winds at the start of the fire made it extremely difficult to foresee that the flames would swing back towards Le Porge.
Volunteers like Herve Fougeroux are aiding in the extinguishing efforts
Even now, Le Porge and nearby areas face a high risk of renewed flare-ups.
A large community effort is focused on soaking the ground to prevent sparks from reigniting. Volunteers including Herve Fougeroux have been combing the terrain for wisps of smoke, carrying buckets and sprayers to douse each small outbreak as it appears.
“We take the water from the lake then we fight root fires,” he said. “One by one – we do what we can.”
Still, he says the workload is daunting.
“It could take months. It’s exhausting,” he added.
Read more:
‘Alert! Get out’ – an Irish family’s experience of fleeing the French wildfires
Bordeaux a city on edge amid renewed wildfire warnings
